Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Plants
Flowering Plants
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Qualifying criteria (if given)
B1ab(iii,iv,v)
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species has a restricted distribution within the UAE, consisting of two major subpopulations. These populations are considered to be severely fragmented. At least one of its known localities, Khor Zawra, has been lost due to land being converted into a golf course. Ongoing development is occurring at other sites, such as Jebel Hafeet, and this suggests that the overall population is declining. The estimated EOO for this species is 1,432 km<sup>2</sup> which falls within the threshold for threatened categories. Therefore, this species is assessed as Endangered (EN B1ab(iii,iv,v)).
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species has been recorded at Qarn Nizwa (Jongbloed et al. 2003). More recently, it has also been recorded at Jebel Hafeet (Sakkir and Brown 2013). It is also known from Jebel Fayah and was previously recorded from Khor Zawra, although this locality was recently converted into a golf course. The estimated extent of occurrence for this species is 1,432 km<sup>2</sup>. The global distribution of this species comprises the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula and western Socotra (Board of Trustees, RBG Kew 2019).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This is a perennial bulb species. It has two or three narrow, curled leaves and is found in gravel in low, limestone hills (Jongbloed et al. 2003). Flowering takes place from February to March, producing two brown flowers per plant, but only after rains (Jongbloed et al. 2003).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
This species may be at risk from development at Jebel Hafeet. One of its previous localities, Khor Zawra, has been lost due to land conversion for use as a golf course.
History
This species has been fragmented with a small distribution in the past, with a backcast listing of EN B1ab(iii). Threats due to ongoing development and land conversion are still having a negative impact on this species.
Publication
Allen, D.J., Westrip, J.R.S., Puttick, A., Harding, K.A., Hilton-Taylor, C. and Ali, H. 2021. UAE National Red List of Vascular Plants. Technical Report. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates, Dubai.
